Well, that’s the Easter holidays done and dusted! The children had two and bit weeks off school – which was just the right length of time for them to relax and spread their wings, without getting too fed up.
At the start of the holidays the weather was unusually warm and delightful. In Britain we’re trained from birth to make the most of every scrap of decent weather. As soon as the warm weather starts, everything shifts up into such a happy gear. People are smiling, the birds sing, barbecues are lit. I love it!
Ely is beautiful in the sunshine, but Cambridge is even better. We couldn’t resist heading over there for some punting in the sun.
Despite being Cambridgeshire born and bred, I’m still a newcomer to punting. Luckily, Mr Marmalade isn’t, so he was our punting chauffeur for the day. Blue skies, blossom, old buildings – heaven, as far as I’m concerned! You can hire a self-punt by the hour, or why not take a tour instead?
After we’d finished on the water, we headed straight into Fitzbillies on Bridge Street for some delicious coffee and lunch.
We then pottered about in the warm sunshine, admiring the blue sky and blossom – and wishing we had a spare million tucked away to buy a beautiful house in the city.
Later in the holiday we went away without the children for a couple of days on the Isle of Man. We don’t go away without them very often, so it was nice to just relax and be free from all our usual routines. Which mainly meant eating, drinking and going for a few walks.
Our favourite walk was in Port Erin, hiking up to Bradda Head. At the start it was all wild garlic and bluebells.
By the time we reached the top we were floating in the clouds (let’s not talk about the rain).
The Easter weekend rounded off the holidays with chocolate and roast dinners. The warm weather had disappeared by this point, but none of us wanted to stop being outside. So time was spent sowing seeds and visiting the plant nursery – all accompanied by coffee and chocolate eggs!
And now the boys are back to school. Well, one is. The other is off on a school residential trip until tomorrow. I’m getting my work back on track and starting running and eating healthily again (the downside of eating too many Easter eggs).
Actually, I’m glad of the running, as it feels like a positive way to leap into the new term and all the new adventures it’ll bring.
I hope you had a lovely Easter too. I’d love to hear about what you’ve been up to!
Sounds perfectly idyllic Lizzie. Our Easter break has been one long rush really. My husband and I had to take holidays separately to cover the school holidays. We’ve been mostly getting ready for our son’s communion this weekend. But May is packed with weekend trips, which will make up for the busyness during the holidays.
We did have some rushed moments too, I must admit! I hope May is more relaxing for you! x
Looks like you’ve had a lovely holiday! We really enjoyed the Easter break this year too, we had a fab family holiday and then a couple of weeks of pottering around with a few days trips, lots of really nice family time!